Honduras Travel Update - October 1996

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Report from Copán - Stan Hall stanhal@azstarnet.com

Copán:

Took the bus to Copán Ruinas. Etumi bus. Catch it on the corner across the street from the Palmyra Hotel #1. Leaves at 11 am & 1 pm. Takes around 5 hours and costs 30 Lempiras. Was a fun ride although tiresome. You are right...Hondurans are very friendly.

Copán Ruinas I went to the Ixbalanque Language school for 1 week. They set me up with a Honduran family. I enjoyed it so much that I stayed another week...they treated me like one of them.

Restaurants Copán Marina...Trying to put on a "snooty" atmosphere and failing miserably. Food was good...prices high...service terrible. Don't bother with it. The hotel is still the best in town though.

Llama del Bosque...Good food at a good price. Service a little slow but not that bad. Honduran food well prepared.

Tunkul...Good food. Beer and drinks a little pricier than elsewhere. Beer runs 10 Lempiras. I was told by my "Honduran Family" that only Americans and Honduran Yuppies go there.

Los Gauchos...Probably the best restaurant in town. A little pricey at 10 to 12 dollars. Run by a man from Uruguay and his Bolivian wife. The wife lived in Canada and speaks good English. Accepts Visa.

Vamos a Ver...One half block below the central park on the same street as Los Gauchos. Patio style run by a Dutch couple William & Suzanne. Breakfast lunch & dinner. Excellent coffee...use local coffee and make it with a "their" touch...cappuchino too. Dutch cheese and salami. Bake their own bread. Large choice for breakfast 15 to 28 Lempiras. I ate lasagna for dinner...very good. Highly recommended. Very nice couple and a good source of travel information. By the way Brad...William would like a copy of your travel guide for his library. Look him up next time you are in town...he is expecting you.

Carnitas Ni Loca...across the street from Los Gauchos and at the end of the block. Very nice patio bar and restaurant. Nice view of the valley..very pleasant. This is one of the places where the Hondurans go. Chicken, tacos, french fries, chiliquiles...is 8 Lempiras.

Cost to get into the famous Copán Ruins is now 110 Lempiras for a foreigner, about 20 Lempiras for a Honduran, and nothing if you live in Copan Ruinas. Not to be missed...I went there 3 times and loved it more each time, but I am an archaeologist. Got into the new museum...not open yet (this was July 5th). Don't miss it..outstanding. Had my picture taken with the famous Dr. William Fash...has written much on Copán. His wife Barbara broke the hieroglyphics.

Hiked up to Los Sapos. Supposed to be a birthing place for Mayan women. I can hardly believe a woman in labor hiking all the way up there. Anyway the toad or sapo is supposed to be a symbol of fertility to the Mayans. There is a craving of a toad...although weathered and some other carved stones and seats. Not impressive, but a good place to let your imagination run rampant. The walk up there had beautiful views of the valley and saw many butterflies and birds. Very pleasant outing. You can rent horses if you don't like to hike.

The road from San Pedro Sula to La Entrada was in very good condition. Road from La Entrada to Copán Ruinas is still being worked on with a few rough places, but overall in good shape.

La Ceiba Hotel La Quinta..Great value 250 lemps for a single. Restaurant is good.

Hotel Iberia...Very good value. Stayed 1 night. Room I had did not have hot water. Don't remember what I paid.

Restaurant La Plancha...Excellent. Great Value. About $9 for a great meal. Best restaurant I ate in the whole trip! Seaview...Bar. Located on the barra and on the beach. Great place to relax and have a few beers. Also can bird watch as this is located at the mouth of the river.

Expatriates Bar & Grill...Friendly place. Lots of Americans. Good food.

Burger King...Next to the Hotel La Quinta. Americans hang out here in the morning. La Ceiba was a lot more pleasant than San Pedro Sula. Did not seem as up tight.

Roatán...French Harbor. Gios...Best restaurant & best value in French Harbour..although a little pricey. Great food...fish was excellent. Very pleasant sitting outside on the deck and listening to the surf pound around you. Romeo's Restaurant...Don't bother with it. Pricey...prices are stated in dollars. Small portions. Had some bad reports from the locals.

Tela: Tela...nice beach and I understand Punta del Sal is interesting to visit. I just did not have enough time to do much of anything except wander around for an afternoon. I was not too impressed. The local hotel keepers think they have another CanCun and try to extract that type of revenue.

Hotel Sherwood...has gone up to $35 per day. Again prices are quoted in dollars. Air conditioned...some English spoken. Food pretty good.

Hotel Villas Telemar...Getting more run down by the day. Can't recommend for the price.

Hotel Bahia Azul...on the beach. Was full (or at least that is what the "girl with a give-a-shit attitude" behind the desk told me when she finally decided to speak with me. Other than that...looked good and the price is about half that of the Sherwood next door.

Restaurant Uruguay...No longer there had changed hands and names. I wrote down the new name and promptly misplaced it. No longer an Uruguayan restaurant now specializes more in Honduras type of food

Something else. You warned me about using a credit card. Well it happened everywhere but the airlines. They all put 6% tax on the card, some added 10% tip.

The Copán Marina restaurant about which I did not have too much good to say...tried to add 10% tax as well as 10% tip. They were taking a long time to figure the bill which alerted me to something. Anyway I paid them in cash and left. The service was really bad and I would not recommend the restaurant to anyone...although the hotel is quite nice.

Romeo deserves the bad rap. I ate breakfast there with Delmar McNab and his son Henson. The portions were small, the price high and quoted in dollars.

Gio's and Romeo's are the only 2 places I ate on Roatán...Gio's is far and away the better restaurant.

My sincere "Muchos Gracias" -

My sincere thanks to Erik Hage, Michael Swigart and Carol Fisher for their suggestions on how to send "blind carbon copy" messages and thereby eliminate listing all the addresses on the Travel Update. Each of them contributed part of the picture and I am now able to use this method on this October issue.

Another visit review - James H. Barton redwing@tiac.net

The Sherwood in Tela proved very worthy of your recommendation, as well as the recommendation of a birding friend. The owner first asked $44.00, then offered us $38.00 after learning we'd be staying for a few days. We'd also like to recommend the seafood, especially the camarones al ajillo.

The villas Telamar have built a beautiful new conference center. We did not ask to look at any rooms.

Our impression was very negative. Apartments adjoin. Walls appear thin. Patrons included many families with small children. Peace, quiet and privacy I don't think you're going to get.

The place clearly looks good to many a Honduran family, but we would definitely not recommend it to travelling U.S. singles. couples or small groups who want something more than a crowded pool.

The Punta Sal Park has been renamed after the martyred Honduran environmentalist Peggy (??) Kawas, murdered at her home in Tela in February. Some people suspect local police, others think hitmen were hire by the large palm oil plantation that Kawas had been attacked for poluting the Laguna de los Micos.

We took a launch to Punta Sal out of the Bahia Azul captained by Jose Antonio Amaya at a cost of 600L, or $53.00 at the then exchange rate. Amaya does a great job. We gave him a very large tip.

The road from SPS to La Libertad is fine, thereafter, parts of it are in very bad shape indeed. The 60 kilometers from La Libertad to Copán took us 1.5 hours because of multiple large huecos and one very big washout. Crews were working on the road near Copán, but had a long way to go.

The museum indeed did not open on July 21, but we were able to get a tour from a friend. At last note, the official inauguration was supposed to have taken place yesterday, August 3.

Apparently, it's possible to arrange special tour by applying to the office of the Asociacion Copán at the park headquarters building. There may be a special charge. The building is not open to the public, for the very good reason the archaelogists, artists and workmen are all still at work.

We stayed at the Casa de Café on the recommendation of Scott Charter of the Central American Travel Exchange cate@travelexchange.com, paying $38 for a double. We very highly recommend this bed and breakfast. The rooms are very comfortable. The owners make very good company. Breakfast is gourmet food. Howard Rosenzweig speaks both English and Spanish. His Honduran wife, Angela, comes from the Mosquitia and speaks at least three languages fluently.

You should be aware that Howard doesn't yet have a direct telephone line and hence cannot accept credit cards because he has no way of getting telephone authorization conveniently. He's working on it, but right now payment must be in cash or by traveller's check. (I don't know if he takes checks.)

For $75.00 double I would certainly recommend the remodelled Marina Copán. The Posada Real might as well have been built in Cancun or Miami. Not worth whatever they're charging.

The food at Los Gauchos was superb, pricey for Honduras, but well worth it.

Through Howard Rosenzweig we were introduced to Jorge Barraza of Xupki Tours (see ad in Honduras Tips, April-June, p. 19 and text on p. 20). Jorge speaks good English, for those who require it. He knows the country and the birds. He will take you out in a his four-wheel drive around Copan for $40.00. (Trips elsewhere vary in price.)

Jorge works out of his house in Copán Ruinas and can be reached by telephone at 98-3435 days and 98-3503 nights. He doesn't have a fax of his own as yet but can reached through the Casa de Café in SPS at their fax-- 52-05-23. Jorge does bird trips, nature trips and cave trips for his company. His nephew does archaeological trips.

Honduras is becoming of increasing interest to birders, and I very strongly recommend you include mention of Jorge when you next update your guide. Anyone wanting a personal reference should feel free to call me at 617-354-7435 before 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or to email me at redwing@tiac.net.

On the recommendation of an ardent birder, we visited the Lago do Yahoa and found it of very great beauty. We stayed at a new hotel built in a coffee plantation, called Las Glorias, paying 320L for weekdays. I am sending you some propaganda by snail mail.

The Agua Azul didn't look very inviting. The fancy place on the hill whose name I've forgotten was clearly in business but wasn't open.

Las Glorias the hotel and Las Glorias the restaurant are separely owned by two brothers. We did a lot of talking with the younger brother and restaurant owner, Justo Abad Pineda, who lived in New Orleans for 17 years and likes to speak English. His older brother, owner of the hotel, may or may not speak English. We talked about coffee and conservation with him in Spanish.

The grounds of the hotel are rich in birds. It would be a fine place for an environmental conference, and, indeed, a small international group of scientists was meeting there during our stay.

On the downside, our bathroom was already showing signs of wear, and the handsome horses to whom the owners give free ruin on the property were providing ample medium for a disconcerting number of flies. Very unappealing for an otherwise lovely place.

Finally the new sculpture museum at Copán was inaugurated for the 2nd time. El Museo de Escultura is perhaps the most beautiful of the Maya World. Many of the original pieces from the main ruins have been moved to the new covered museum, like the Old Man of Copán, The Rosetta Stone, macaw heads from the ball court, Stella P, etc. The reproduction of Rosa Lila in the center of the Museum is beyond any description. The vivid achiote colored temple is a true reproduction of what the Mayas may have seen in their time. The Museum cost about 1 million dollars to build. There are 60 exhibits comprising about 3000 sculptures. Three original stellae are now in the Museum. Each side of the Museum is 15 meters high by 60 meters long. Ex President Callejas donated 4 million lempiras to start the Museum during his administration and he estimated 500m to 700m visitors.

Other news, there was a fuel price increase on saturday the 3rd of August. Super now costs 21.06 a gallon or 1.73 a gallon, at 12.15 per 1.00 us, which is the present exchange rate.

Remember that the Copán Shuttle on operates to and from Copán and San Pedro Sula. It operates to and the airport in San Pedro as well. The bus leave for Copán everyday but wednesday at 3.30 pm from downtown and at about 2.00 pm from the airport. The return from Copán at 8.00 am but thursdays. It arrives downtown at 10.30 and proceeds to the airport to drop off persons for the AA and CO flights. Cost 25.00 U.S. to airport and 20.00 to San Pedro.

Road to Copán is still not fully completed, last 15 or so kilometers at snail's pace.

The maquila industry employed 23 percent more Hondurans in 1995 than in 1994, says a report released this week by the Central Bank of Honduras. In 1994, 42,541 Honduran workers found jobs in one of the 114 manufacturing companies operating in the nation's industrial parks. This number grew to 54,995 in 1995 and is expected to reach more than 61,000 by the end of this year, say CBH officials. Meanwhile, the maquila industry injected LPs. 758.2 back into the national economy through wages and salaries in 1995. This figure is also expected to grow. According to the Central Bank report, the maquila industry contributed LPs. 258.5 million to last year's balance of payments, through taxes, services and consumption.

Isleña Airlines announces new air fares

Current exchange

The current exchange of dollars for lempiras is 1 U.S. dollar to 12.50 LPs.

Central America Air Passes

An alliance of five Central American airlines have formed to offer two air pass programs. The five airlines are: TACA, AVIATECA, COPA, LACSA and NICA. They offer two options: "Visit Central America Program" and "Mayan Air Pass".

HereÕs how it works: first plan your own Central American itinerary, determine your gateway city and identify the additional cities you wish to visit. Using the zone reference chart and fare chart determine how many coupons you will need. From this you can determine how much the fare will be. Using this plan with multiple stopovers should save you up to a 35% rate reduction.

Here's an example they use in their literature: "A traveler from Houston plans to visit Belize for scuba diving (1st coupon). From Belize he wants to visit Copan, an ancient Maya site accessible from San Pedro Sula, Honduras (2nd coupon). From San Pedro Sula, he wants to fly to Guatemala to visit the art and crafts markets in the highlands (3rd coupon). From Guatemala City he will return to Houston (4th coupon). Total number of coupons = 4." Houston is in zone 3 and from the price chart the cost would be $579.00.

Restrictions: a minimum stay of three days is required, a maximum stay of 60 days is allowed. There is a penalty of $100 if a stay exceeds 60 days. Tickets are not valid 90 days after commencement of travel. The "Visit Central America Program" requires a minimum of three coupons to be purchased. The "Mayan Airpass" required a minimum of four coupons to be purchased.

Brochures are available for both of these plans, you may call your travel agent or any of these numbers for further details:

Miami (305) 879-0036, New Orleans (504) 887-7411, Houston (713) 665-1595, Los Angeles (213) 385-9424, San Francisco (415) 692-2212, Washington, D.C. (202) 833 2076 or New York (212) 245-6370.

Reservations can be made at any of the 800 numbers for these airlines.

More information is available from: http://www.flylatinamerica.com/taca_specprog.html

Hotel Finca Las Glorias Lago de Yojoa

Several readers have mentioned the Hotel Finca Las Glorias. One of them Mr. James Barton <redwing@tiac.net > just sent me some information on rates and a well done newspaper supplement with photographs. Although I have known of them for about a year, this is the first time I have received enough information to report on them.

Here is the write up that will be placed in the "Honduras Travel Guide" and the hotels listing on the HonduWeb Travel web site:

Hotel Finca Las Glorias, comfortable rooms with double beds, air conditioning, private bath, hot water and cable television. Restaurant, bar, billiards, swimming pool, volleyball and play area for children. Motorized boats and aquatic bicycles can be rented by the hour. No charge for children under 12 years of age with their families. $30 to $40 per night. Km 9, La Guama, carretera a Pena Blanca, Santa Cruz de Yojoa, telephone 56-0462 or fax 56-0461.

Las Glorias is a welcome addition to Lago de Yojoa, it blends in well with the environment instead of standing out like a sore thumb. The grounds are covered with vegetation and pine trees. As a working farm, much of the fruit served in their restaurant is produced right on location. Appealing to families with children, there is a separate swimming pool and childrenÕs play area. The view of the lake is magnificent. Motorized boats and paddle bicycle boats are available for rent. There is also a futbol field, volley ball and billiard tables available.

All this adds up to an excellent choice for your next visit to the lake. Come and enjoy...!

Utila Vistors Tax

Beginning August 15, non-resident tourists must now pay a US $5 tax to visit Utila, the smallest of the three Bay Islands. Tax proceeds will be used to fund projects and efforts directed at supporting a more sustainable future in tourism on Utila.

Ferry Service between Texas and Honduras

Isabel Cortes Navigation Announces Ferry Service between Port Isabel and Puerto Cortés.

Mr. Frederick Drew, a logistics consultant in Brownsville, Texas announced that his firm, International Decision Support, Inc. has reached an agreement in principle with an experience operator of US and European ferries to initiate weekly passenger and vehicle service between Port Isabel, Texas and Puerto Cortés, Honduras.

The ferry will be capable of carrying as many as 360 automobiles and 456 passengers. Passenger facilities include a lounge, cafeteria, restaurant duty free shop, cinema, casino, gymnasium, card room, and library.

The vessel will depart weekly from Port Isabel. This service will begin sometime in October.

Holbrook Travel Tours

Holbrook Travel Tours announces two group tours:

"The Culture and Nature of Honduras" with Bonny Lundy, January 18 - February 1, 1997. Arrive in Tegucigalpa and after overnighting the tour will head for La Tigra Cloud Forest. Birds, plant life, and visits to the small colonial villages are the highlights. Day 3 and 4 will be spent visiting the highland villages of St. Lucia, Ojojona and Valle de Angeles. From there you will go to Lago de Yojoa and see cool green wetlands and an area known for over 200 species of birds. The next day will include a boat ride on the lake and a visit to Pulhapanzak Falls. After a leisurely drive to Honduras'North Coast you will visit the beach side town of Tela. In Tela the next day leads to a visit to Punta Sal National Park, a Garifuna village, an area abundant in wildlife. The next place visited is La Ceiba. A lively port and base for exploring Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge. After a full days visit to the refuge and over nighting the tour will go on to the Mayan Ruins of Copan. Two full days are spent there exploring the ruins, the village of Copan, surrounding forests and surrounding Mayan sites.

"The Natural and Cultural History of Costa Rica and Honduras" with Bill Grey, April 5 - 20, 1997. The tour begins in Costa Rica and visits some of the world's most breathtaking parks. Birding, great views, and rainforests are visited. Then on to Honduras, the Mayan Ruins of Copan, plenty of time to visit the ruins and the new museum and more bird watching. From there the tour leads you to Guanaja on the Bay Islands. Diving and snorkeling are available on this beautiful island. Those wishing their own Honduras tour can arrange for their own independent "Honduras Classic". Reservations should be made three months in advance if possible. Areas covered are San Pedro Sula, Copan, Tela/Punta Sal, La Ceiba or a possible Bay Islands extension. Tour comes complete with guide and driver of your own vehicle.

For information contact Holbrook Travel, 3540 NW 13th Street, Gainsville, FL 32609, telephone 1-800- 451-7111, fax 1-352-371-3710 or email Travel@holbrook.usa.com, web site: http://www.gorp.com/holbrook.htm

I was traveling in Honduras this summer and found a nice hotel in Bahia de Omoa . It is a new small family hotel run by a Dutch woman. ItÕs right on the beach near a lot of small fish restaurants.

This little hotel is very clean. The hotel has only 3 rooms, all with air conditioning,, 100 volt and 220 volt (this was great since I could plug every appliance in one of the sockets European or American) and a big private bathroom.

I spent 3 days there and had a great time with the family and the villagers. They were very helpful with a lot of information about sight-seeing and local activities.

I would like to recommend this hotel to be added in your book. The name of the hotel is "Hotel Bahia de Omoa" and a single/double room costs respectively US$27/US$36. It certainly is worth the price.

Emergency Medical Services - San Pedro Sula

Emergency Medical Services S.A. de C.V. has a 24 hour walk-in clinic in San Pedro Sula. They have licensed doctors on staff to immediately attend tourists and visitors who may need medical attention. All doctors can speak English. Ambulance service is available, as well as having doctors who visit patients in their hotel.

In addition an air ambulance, located in San Pedro Sula, will air evacuate patients back to the U.S. Most of the medications are from the States and all supplies are completely disposable. They work with medical protocols of the American Heart Association and New Haven Hospital Sponsor Program of New Haven Ct. All credit cards accepted.

Their e-mail in Honduras is ems@simon.intertel.hn Web page is: http://www.access.digex.net/~mhv/ems.html They are located at: Barrio Guamilito, 11 Ave & 5 Calle N.O. near the stadium. phone: (504) 52- 1717, 52-1211 fax: 52-2255

Current information on Honduras' Office of Tourism

Honduras ISP Service

The following information is from honduras@ns.gbm.hn (Steve Hasz), he is sending us this message from Roatán.

I use an Internet Service Provider called GBM-IBM (they are the local IBM affiliate) out of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula and have to dial long distance to get my e-mail. The long distance charge is about $.15 per minute and the Internet service costs $30 per month. They are also opening an office in La Ceiba this month. Their Teguc numbers are 32-2309 and 32-2319. I have had very good luck with this service except for a couple of glitches. One, the service goes down every few Sundays because there is no one there to reset the machines on that day. Two, although I can receive messages from America On Line members, I've had trouble sending them. Other than that, the service has been very fast and good.

Soon, I think we will have a local access number here on Roatán through another provider called GlobalNet. That is slated for November. Globalnet's number is 56-1784. They have Internet service plans for $20 and $30 per month.

Possibly in the future, there will be some kind of local access everywhere in Honduras through some type of local 1-800 service equivalent.

Passport copying - Yes, copying your passport is an excellent idea, when I worked for the U.S. Embassy, I noticed that having a photocopy of the photo page vastly speeded up the red tape of replacing a lost or stolen passport. Actually, you should make two copies, one to carry at all times and another left with family or friends in your home town before you leave home. Make sure your passport number is legible on the copies - if not, write it in.

Buying property - About buying property in Honduras: I ...agree with Jose Avila. Yes, the foreign ownership of beach front and border property is specifically prohibited by the Constitution. The Callejas era he cites is on the books, but is blatantly unconstitutional, and is therefore nothing to rely upon.

My advice is to purchase the property in the name of your Honduras business partner, spouse, or business entity. Setting up a corporation in Honduras is easy. Or do as I did and purchase inland and away from the borders.

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